Would I Be Better Off?

[bluenose1940]

Last October I purchased a 57plate 220d with 47K on the clock. The car is immaculate and runs extremely well. I'm just a little disappointed in the mpg return when compared to the stated figures but as I haven't yet done a reasonably long run and, coupled with the fact that it is B@## cold outside I'm not really sure what sort of return it will eventually give me but, I'm not overly bothered about that situation to be honest, as I just love driving the car.

Anyway to get to the point of my post, I have read so many adverse comments on here regarding problems with the 220d that I am toying with the idea of changing it to an IS250. I will obviously lose a bit of money by changing the car but, will I be better off overall? I am looking at a couple of IS250 SE-L Multimedia versions but, both of them are one year older than my car (56plates) and both have about 59K on their clocks. I know that the road tax and insurance will both be more expensive and, that I won't get the mpg from it that my 220d will probably give over time.

I know that diesel angines reputedly have, generally speaking, very high mileage lives and so you can buy a high mileage diesel car and still have a good engine. What do members think of 59K on the IS250, is this still low or not?

One of the reasons that I am thinking of changing, in addition to the adverse comments already referred to earlier, is a post that I read only recently and I have copied it below. I honestly feel that I have fallen into the trap mentioned by the member who posted this.

"One of the biggest causes of problems on modern diesel fuelled cars is that they are often bought by people who should be buying petrol fuelled cars. If you are doing a lot of short runs from cold then the odds are that things will get gummed up and also you will get carbon deposits because the engine isn't hot enough to burn it off. EGR's, DPF's will suffer damage from short runs from cold.

Whilst this may not mirror your usage it is still worth knowing"

It will be really interesting to see what you fellow members have to say to me on this matter. Thanks for reading..

[fjcfarrar]

If you are happy with what you have, you may as well stick with it.

If you would like a better all round drive; go for an IS250 - but an Auto, because the manual gearbox is not exactly special. The Road Tax is lower on the Auto because it has lower emissions, and it also returns better mpg. IS250 Auto economy is likely to be worse than the IS 220D, but not necessarily very much worse for your usage.

I would suggest that engine life will be similar; but probably more trouble-free with the IS250 if you are generally not doing long fast journeys. 58k is just early days for the IS250 engine.

[bluenose1940]

I am absolutely amazed...................195 views and only 1 reply!! I was expecting to see replies from both 220d and 250 owners giving their views on why they would stick-with or change the car but hey ho, never mind.

[juicestop]

I am absolutely amazed...................195 views and only 1 reply!! I was expecting to see replies from both 220d and 250 owners giving their views on why they would stick-with or change the car but hey ho, never mind.

Probably because the subject of IS220d vs IS250 has been covered to death on this forum, why not do a search? For my tuppence worth, chop it in before something goes wrong and get an IS250 auto.

[fjcfarrar]

We all have our prejudices & are inclined to bias. Nevertheless a concensus would be:

A good IS220D is quite a good car & an average IS250 Auto is an excellent car but usually a bit thirstier.

[mikeyv]

I am absolutely amazed...................195 views and only 1 reply!! I was expecting to see replies from both 220d and 250 owners giving their views on why they would stick-with or change the car but hey ho, never mind.

Bear in mind that not all viewers are owners of 200 series cars, I read all posts on here, so would have been one of those viewers, and as I read it I would have been thinking I wouldn't touch the diesel with a bargepole.

However, that opinion is purely based on reading this site and one or two others, so basically I wouldn't post hearsay, but rather leave others with ACTUAL experience of the cars to post.

[steve2006]

I am not an IS series owner but again through reading the various problems with the Diesel version I wouldn't buy one.

The IS220d is the only diesel model produced by Lexus and it will be the last with their total commitment to hybrid technology. It was only produced to compete in the medium sized saloon sector generally dominated by BMW.

The engine is not built in Japan but in Poland I am LED to believe and I also believe the engine design was rushed through based on the Toyota Avensis unit.

I have a diesel engine in my van, in my opinion thats where all diesel engines should live.

[MW70]

After persuading myself out of a 3 series on grounds of drab interior and not that much spec for money I went for an IS250 which was a surprise at the time since i'd not considered before. I went through the forum before purchase and realised there were a few negatives on the 250 but the diesel had a multitude of more serious issues. That made me sure id picked the right version despite fuel consumption. (although maybe the reality is closer than lexus would admit). So I sound a bit smug - but the car has cost me a packet in tyres and servicing and a couple of other mileage related issues. With regard to wether you chop it or not - i think you would lose more than you think. The cars seem to depreciate much worse than expected and whuchever you have its likely to be at a high cost - but maybe not as much as youd lose if you change. Depends what you want. But by the laws of averages the diesel could give more expensive problems but neither will be cheap. I would be inclined to keep the 220 if its in good shape. The 250 auto is lovely and smooth but not overtly quick and the ride is still not up to scratch (havent tried the refreshed versions) . Youd end up with much the same car as you had before and you might be bored with it and get rid on quick time. Loosing another shedload of cash! I like my 250 a lot but i would'nt buy another at the age of 4. I certainly wouldnt buy one new even if I could afford 30k on a car, however its difficult to know what id replace with. Theres an awful lot of spec to miss on an se-l lexus. Please excuse my smartphone typing! M

[bluenose1940]

Some really interesting replies since my last post on the 10th Feb for which I offer my considerable gratitude to the contributors. MW70 makes an interesting point re the amount of cash that I would lose if I change. I could have changed it without cost if I had done it in the first month of purchase, by utilising the 30day/1000 mile exchange option but, having left it for 3 months I stand to lose nearly £4K!!! (Based on what a couple of Lexus dealers are prepared to offer me) The only way I could offset that would be to sell it privately (if possible - not sure what the private market is like though) and even then I would probably only halve the potential loss. As I have said in my original post I really like my 220d, it is absolutely immaculate inside and out, drives extremely well, it is a pleasure to drive it every time. The longest run I have done to date is from Bristol to Exmouth, about 80miles, and that was great, extremely comfortable etc. Perhaps I have got myself a good speciment, i.e not a FRIDAY AFTERNOON CAR and that it will serve me well. Basically I am just a bit concerned about the many adverse comments on this forum regarding the car and therefore I was thinking of 'getting out' before such problems might arise. Maybe if I'm really lucky I won't encounter such problems. Further thoughts needed methinks!

[Exiled]

The time to take on board the many comments about the 220d was before you bought it, assuming you did you came to a decision to buy one.

You're a bit disappointed with the mpg but it doesn't overly bother you, the car is immaculate, runs well and you love driving it. What more do you want?

47k is not a high mileage and you are considering exchanging it for a higher mileage petrol version six years old that you know nothing about and you're going to lose money into the bargain, I'd stick with what you've got. A diesel needs a good thrashing every now and again.

[MW70]

Excellently put Exiled without my twaddle!